Tomįs Luis de Victoria (1548  1611) was the most
famous composer in 16th-century Spain, and was one of
the most important composers of the
Counter-Reformation, along with Giovanni Pierluigi da
Palestrina and Orlando di Lasso. Victoria was not only
a composer, but also an accomplished organist and
singer as well as a Catholic priest. However, he
preferred the life of a composer to that of a
performer.

Victoria was born in Sanchidriįn in the province of
Įvila, Castile around 1548 and died in 1611. Victoria's
family can be traced back for generations. Not only are
the names of the members in his immediate family known,
but even the occupation of his grandfather. Victoria
was the seventh of nine children born to Francisco Luis
de Victoria and Francisca Suįrez de la Concha. His
mother was of converso descent. After his father's
death in 1557, his uncle, Juan Luis, became his
guardian. He was a choirboy in Įvila Cathedral.
Cathedral records state that his uncle, Juan Luis,
presented Victoria's Liber Primus to the Church while
reminding them that Victoria had been brought up in the
Įvila Cathedral. Because he was such an accomplished
organist, many believe that he began studying the
keyboard at an early age from a teacher in Įvila.
Victoria most likely began studying "the classics" at
St. Giles's, a boys' school in Įvila. This school was
praised by St.Teresa of Avila and other highly regarded
people of music.

He was a master at overlapping and dividing choirs with
multiple parts with a gradual decreasing of rhythmic
distance throughout. Not only does Victoria incorporate
intricate parts for the voices, but the organ is almost
treated like a soloist in many of his choral pieces.
Victoria did not begin the development of psalm
settings or antiphons for two choirs, but he continued
and increased the popularity of such repertoire.
Victoria reissued works that had been published
previously, and included new revisions in each new
issue.

Victoria published his first book of motets in 1572. In
1585 he wrote his Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae, a
collection which included 37 pieces that are part of
the Holy Week celebrations in the Catholic liturgy,
including the eighteen motets of the Tenebrae
Responsories.

Stylistically, his music shuns the elaborate
counterpoint of many of his contemporaries, preferring
simple line and homophonic textures, yet seeking
rhythmic variety and sometimes including intense and
surprising contrasts. His melodic writing and use of
dissonance is more free than that of Palestrina;
occasionally he uses intervals which are prohibited in
the strict application of 16th century counterpoint,
such as ascending major sixths, or even occasional
diminished fourths (for example, a melodic diminished
fourth occurs in a passage representing grief in his
motet Sancta Maria, succurre). Victoria sometimes uses
dramatic word-painting, of a kind usually found only in
madrigals. Some of his sacred music uses instruments (a
practice which is not uncommon in Spanish sacred music
of the 16th century), and he also wrote polychoral
works for more than one spatially separated group of
singers, in the style of the composers of the Venetian
school who were working at St. Mark's in Venice.

Although originally created for four (4) voices (SATB),
I created this Interpretation of the "Dominica in Ramis
Palmarum" (Palm Sunday) from "Officium Hebdomadae
Sanctae" for Winds (Flute, Oboe, English Horn &
Bassoon) & Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).